Display Driver Crash Fix — ASUS Vivobook S 14 OLED M5406
The AMD Radeon 780M on this laptop triggers display driver crashes (TDR — Timeout Detection and Recovery) most often due to a stale or conflicting AMD Adrenalin driver installation. The fix is a clean driver replacement using DDU.
AMD Radeon 780M
OLED Display
Download Display Driver Uninstaller (DDU)
Download the latest DDU from guru3d.com. DDU completely removes all AMD display driver files, registry entries, and leftover packages from previous installations. Running DDU before installing a fresh driver eliminates the majority of TDR crash causes on AMD Radeon integrated graphics.
Boot into Safe Mode and Run DDU
Go to Settings → System → Recovery → Advanced startup → Restart now. From the boot options menu, choose Troubleshoot → Advanced options → Startup Settings → Restart, then press 4 for Safe Mode. Once in Safe Mode, run DDU and select Clean and restart for AMD — GPU. This removes the driver without Windows reloading it during the process.
Install the Latest AMD Adrenalin Driver
After DDU restarts Windows normally, go to amd.com/support and download the latest AMD Software Adrenalin Edition for Radeon 780M (Ryzen AI 300 / Ryzen 8000 series). Run the installer and choose Custom install. Untick the gaming overlay and ReLive recording components if you do not use them — fewer background services mean fewer conflicts.
Disable Hardware-Accelerated GPU Scheduling
Go to Settings → System → Display → Graphics settings and toggle off Hardware-accelerated GPU scheduling (HAGS). On AMD Radeon 780M with OLED panels, HAGS can cause TDR events under certain workloads including video playback and browser-based GPU acceleration. Disabling it is a known fix for Vivobook S 14 OLED display crashes.
Set the Power Plan to Balanced
In AMD Software: Adrenalin Edition, go to Performance → Tuning and set the power profile to Balanced. Avoid the Turbo or Overclock profiles unless you need maximum GPU performance for sustained workloads. Aggressive voltage and frequency settings on the Radeon 780M are a contributing factor in TDR crashes on thin laptops with limited thermal headroom.
Identifying a TDR Event in Event Viewer
When the display driver crashes and recovers, Windows logs a TDR event. Open Event Viewer (Win+R, type eventvwr), go to Windows Logs → System, and look for Event ID 4101 (AMD display driver stopped responding and has successfully recovered). This confirms the crash is GPU driver-related and not a hardware fault with the OLED panel itself.
- Event ID 4101: AMD display driver TDR — address with DDU + fresh driver install
- Event ID 117: AMD display driver crash with no recovery — may indicate overheating; check AMD Software temperature readings
- If crashes occur only during browser use, disable GPU acceleration in Chrome or Edge via Settings → System → Use hardware acceleration when available
“My Vivobook S 14 OLED screen would go black for two seconds and then come back every time I opened a heavy website. Running DDU in Safe Mode and reinstalling the AMD driver completely stopped the crashes. The HAGS disable tip also helped.”
— Nurul Ain, graphic designer, George Town
Ryan holds a Computer Science degree and has spent over 15 years troubleshooting Windows hardware and driver issues across major laptop brands. He writes practical, step-by-step guides for everyday users at softwaredriverdownload.com.
Frequently Asked Questions
What is a TDR crash and why does it happen on the AMD Radeon 780M?
TDR stands for Timeout Detection and Recovery. It occurs when the Windows GPU watchdog detects that the display driver has stopped responding for more than two seconds and forces a driver reset. On the Radeon 780M, TDR events are most often caused by a stale driver installation, Hardware-Accelerated GPU Scheduling conflicts, or the GPU being pushed beyond its thermal limits in a thin chassis.
Do I need to reinstall Windows after using DDU?
No. DDU removes only the AMD display driver files and registry entries. The operating system, personal files, and all other software remain completely intact. After DDU restarts Windows normally, simply run the AMD Adrenalin driver installer to get a clean working driver environment.
Will disabling HAGS affect gaming or video performance?
On the AMD Radeon 780M in the ASUS Vivobook S 14 OLED, disabling Hardware-Accelerated GPU Scheduling has minimal impact on gaming frame rates and often improves display stability for everyday tasks. HAGS provides the most benefit on discrete high-end GPUs, not on integrated graphics in thin laptops.
The display crashes only when connected to an external monitor. What should I check?
Try a different USB-C or HDMI cable and a different monitor. Update the AMD driver using the steps above, then open AMD Software and set the display refresh rate to match what the external monitor natively supports rather than using the maximum available setting. Mismatched refresh rates on multi-display AMD configurations are a known TDR trigger.
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